IBM Rational Test Workbench vs Parasoft SOAtest comparison

IBM and Parasoft are both solutions in the API Testing Tools category. IBM is ranked #15, while Parasoft is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.0. IBM holds a 0.5% mindshare in APIT, compared to Parasoft’s 1.7% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Parasoft users who would recommend it.

IBM Rational Test Workbench

Read 4 IBM Rational Test Workbench reviews

159 Views
88 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Parasoft SOAtest

Read 30 Parasoft SOAtest reviews

670 Views
415 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

IBM Rational Test Workbench

Parasoft SOAtest

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

Parasoft SOAtest and IBM Rational Test Workbench are prominent tools in the software testing landscape. Parasoft SOAtest is favored for its broad range of testing capabilities and ease of integration, giving it an upper hand in versatility and user-friendliness.

Features: Parasoft SOAtest offers automated testing capabilities for API and web services, easy integration with various testing environments, and a wide range of testing tools. IBM Rational Test Workbench includes extensive support for multiple testing types, powerful scripting options, and robust performance features.

Room for Improvement: Parasoft SOAtest could improve its reporting functionalities, reduce the learning curve for new users, and enhance documentation. IBM Rational Test Workbench could focus on optimizing performance, improving usability in complex scenarios, and refining the user interface.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Parasoft SOAtest offers a straightforward deployment process and responsive customer support. IBM Rational Test Workbench requires more effort in deployment and has mixed feedback regarding customer service responsiveness.

Pricing and ROI: Parasoft SOAtest is cost-effective with a clear ROI. IBM Rational Test Workbench is more expensive, and users feel the high price is justified by its extensive features and capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Rational Test Workbench vs. Parasoft SOAtest Report (Updated: February 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Rational Test Workbench vs. Parasoft SOAtest

February 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM Rational Test Workbench

Ranking in API Testing Tools

15th

Ranking in Test Automation Tools

36th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Performance Testing Tools (19th)

Parasoft SOAtest

Ranking in API Testing Tools

11th

Ranking in Test Automation Tools

21st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (28th), Functional Testing Tools (20th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the API Testing Tools category, the mindshare of IBM Rational Test Workbench is 0.5%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Parasoft SOAtest is 1.7%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

API Testing Tools

Featured Reviews

reviewer1513668

IT Specialist, ITE at a government with 10,001+ employees

Good reporting and interface, but supports limited types of protocols and requires low-level script editing

It should have more interfaces. In terms of interfaces or protocols, what you can do with Rational is far limited as compared to other products out there. What it does, it does great, but it only gives you limited types of protocols. It supports between 8 to 15 types of protocols, whereas other test tools give you 20 to 30 types of protocols with which you can do testing and convert to script. It records Javascript-based scripts, and you got to know a little bit of Java to basically be able to edit them, but the level of editing you got to do is very low. I like that, but the ability to edit the script is not as good as Parasoft or LoadRunner, which have C-Script.

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Ajit Kumar Rout

Sr Quality Assurance Engineer at Wabtec Industrial

Good API testing and RIT feature; clarity could be improved

In general, this is a hassle free, user friendly tool and it doesn't require much knowledge if you're using the manual testing. Automated testing is also good but requires some knowledge in that field. It has some great features. It's a good tool compared to some of the other paid tools; input and output can be stored before extension and there is also a verification assessment that can be implemented by using some different methodologies inside the tool. If the licensing cost is suitable then I recommend this solution. If you have automation people with in-depth knowledge in coding that will be helpful. I rate this solution a seven out of 10.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Reporting is pretty good. Its interface is also good. I'm overall pretty happy with the functionality and use of IBM Rational Test Workbench."

"This solution provides for API testing, functional UI testing, performance testing, and service virtualization."

"Good write and read files which save execution inputs and outputs and can be stored locally."

"If you want something that’s not provided out of the box, then you can write it yourself and integrate it with SOAtest."

"Parasoft SOAtest has improved the quality of our automated web services, which can be easily implemented through service chaining and service virtualization."

"The testing time is shortened because we generate test data automatically with SOAtest."

"We can automate our scenarios in a data driven format, which shows there is no rework on scripts. We only need to update the test data and run for a number of scenarios."

"We do a lot of web services testing and REST services testing. That is the focus of this product."

"We have seen a return on investment."

"Generating new messages, based on the existing .EDN and .XML messages, is a crucial part or the testing project that I’m currently in."

More Parasoft SOAtest pros

Cons

"There are a number of things that they can do to simplify the tools, but the most important thing that they need to do is simplify the installation."

"It should have more interfaces. In terms of interfaces or protocols, what you can do with Rational is far limited as compared to other products out there. What it does, it does great, but it only gives you limited types of protocols. It supports between 8 to 15 types of protocols, whereas other test tools give you 20 to 30 types of protocols with which you can do testing and convert to script. It records Javascript-based scripts, and you got to know a little bit of Java to basically be able to edit them, but the level of editing you got to do is very low. I like that, but the ability to edit the script is not as good as Parasoft or LoadRunner, which have C-Script."

"During the process of working with SOAtest and building test cases, the .TST files will grow. A negative side effect is that saving your changes takes more time."

"UI testing should be more in-depth."

"The product is very slow to start up, and that is a bit of a problem, actually."

"The feedback that we received from the DevOps of our organization was that the tool was a little heavy from the transformation perspective."

"Reporting facilities can be better."

"Enabling/disabling an optional element of an XML request is only possible if a data source (e.g., Excel sheet) is connected to the test. Otherwise, the option is not available at all in the drop-down menu."

"Compatibility with HTTP 1.1 and TLS 1.2 needs to be improved."

"The summary reports could be improved."

More Parasoft SOAtest cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is a little bit on the higher side, although it is really good."

"It doesn't really concern me. Licensing is on a yearly basis."

"From what I understand, Parasoft SOAtest isn't the cheapest option. But it has a lot to offer."

"The price is around $5,000 USD."

"They do have a confusing licensing structure."

"It is an expensive product, so think carefully about whether it fits your purposes and is the right tool for you."

"The license price is a little expensive, but it provides a better outcome in terms of the end-to-end automation process."

"We are completed satisfied with Parasoft SOAtest. The ROI is more than 95%."

"The cost of Parasoft seems to have gotten higher with a projection that wasn't really stipulated for our company. They've done a tremendous job at negotiating those deals."

"I think it would be a great step to decrease the price of the licenses."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

32%

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

24%

Manufacturing Company

17%

Computer Software Company

11%

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about Parasoft SOAtest?

Since the solution has both command line and automation options, it generates good reports.

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What needs improvement with Parasoft SOAtest?

Tuning the tool takes time because it gives quite a long list of warnings. Going through that is a challenge. It only happens in the initial stage when we are setting up the tool, but it can be imp...

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What is your primary use case for Parasoft SOAtest?

We use Parasoft SOAtest for automotive compliance and sanity-checking scores.

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Performance Testing Tools

March 2025

Download IBM Rational Test Workbench product report

Buyer's Guide

Parasoft SOAtest

March 2025

Download Parasoft SOAtest product report

Also Known As

Rational Test Workbench, IBM Rational Performance Tester, IBM Functional Tester, IBM Rational Test Virtualization Server

SOAtest

Overview

IBM Rational Test Workbench provides a comprehensive test automation solution for mobile applications, regression testing, integration technologies and performance and scalability testing. It helps you build intelligent and interconnected enterprise applications that can be deployed on traditional and cloud infrastructures. With Rational Test Workbench, you can significantly reduce test cycle times, moving integration testing earlier in the development lifecycle.

IBM

Parasoft SOAtest delivers fully integrated API and web service testing capabilities that automate end-to-end functional API testing. Streamline automated testing with advanced codeless test creation for applications with multiple interfaces (REST & SOAP APIs, microservices, databases, and more).

SOAtest reduces the risk of security breaches and performance outages by transforming functional testing artifacts into security and load equivalents. Such reuse, along with continuous monitoring of APIs for change, allows faster and more efficient testing.

Parasoft

Sample Customers

Financial Insurance Management Corp.

Charter Communications, Sabre, Caesars Entertainment, Charles Schwab, ING, Intel, Northbridge Financial, Capital Services, WoodmenLife

Buyer's Guide

IBM Rational Test Workbench vs. Parasoft SOAtest

February 2025

Free Report: IBM Rational Test Workbench vs. Parasoft SOAtest

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